8 Where Birches Grow
by Oldine
Summary: It's set between Light in the Darkness and Oneiri. Jack and Ianto are on holiday at a secluded bed-and-breakfast. After a relaxing first day/night, the proprietress knocked on the door. Four guests are missing. The story follows the Lewella plot and offers insight into Jack and Ianto's relationship.


**Friday March 6, 2020**

The clear March afternoon was unseasonably mild. Ianto Jones watched the scenery from the passenger seat of his car. February had been a long, stressful month. A quiet weekend appealed. Jack hadn't said much about the hotel other than it was impressive and had hiking trails. The scenery definitely was. A simple wooden sign said "Roberts' Family Bed-And-Breakfast." Jack turned onto the winding birch-lined drive. It opened into a clearing with a three story castle-inspired building.

Ianto couldn't help but ask, "What's the catch?"

"None." Jack leaned over and kissed him. "Braith booked us the best suite."

"How do you know her?"

"A case last December," Jack unfastened his seat-belt. "The civilian who took down a Weevil defending her grand-kids."

Ianto remembered that case. The photograph of the sixty-something woman holding a make-shift weapon went viral. Her clothes were torn and bloody. It was dismissed as a hoax by most and treated like a conspiracy theory for weeks. She'd called 999 and specifically asked for Torchwood.

"I'll get the luggage." Jack climbed out of the car.

 _I can carry my own._ Ianto knew it was pointless to argue. Jack's mindset was an odd combination of old world and futuristic ideas.

Ianto stepped onto the pavement. The fresh air felt good even with the chill. Few cars occupied parking spaces. Ianto suspected it was the off season. Tourists preferred better weather. Even if it rained or snowed the entire weekend, he intended to enjoy it. Taking a holiday, nevertheless with Jack, was a rare opportunity.

Ianto followed across the car park and into the foyer. Inside was even more impressive. A dark wood reception desk matched a few chairs and the banister curving upward. Paintings with Welsh or Celtic mythology themes lined the wall over the stairs. A large, ornate light fixture hung from the ceiling. As beautiful as it was, the calm feeling was the most impressive.

Jack set their bags down in front of the desk and smiled at the young man behind it. Ianto couldn't hear what Jack said, but the other man blushed slightly. The lack of anxiety and jealousy was definite progress. Ianto hated the fact that his issues forced Jack to change his behavior to avoid triggering anxiety episodes.

Their room was on the third floor facing the back. He checked the view. Beautiful oaks lined a park-like yard. The flowering shrubs made him think of his own landscaping efforts; their backyard would be beautiful when the weather warmed. Wooden benches sat under towering trees. Despite the chill, one was occupied by a woman reading a book.

"We can hike, if you want." Jack ran a hand lightly over his back.

"If the weather holds." Ianto packed with that in mind. Wishful thinking, perhaps, as he brought no work clothes.

Jack kissed the top of his shoulder. "If it doesn't, I'll keep you warm."

Ianto enjoyed the moment. "Did you ask about lunch?"

"We can get sandwiches from the kitchen or drive to a restaurant in a nearby town."

"Sandwiches sound good." Ianto didn't want to deal with people or their potential problems.

"I ordered." Jack checked his pocket watch. "We can eat in the dinning room or I can bring it back here."

"Would you mind eating here?"

"No." Jack hugged him. "I will be right back."

Ianto had an odd feeling as Jack left the room. He wanted to dismiss it as anxiety. Struggling with post-traumatic-stress for most of a year made unexpected emotions a regular problem. Despite everything in February, he was having fewer episodes. The nightmares were less common and he hadn't woke screaming since January. He suspected the feeling had to do with the oak trees. He turned from the window, but caught a faint movement from the yard. The woman on the bench was looking at him.

* * *

Saturday March 7, 2020

Jack Harkness woke early as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the bedroom window. Ianto slept soundly, his soft breathing the only sound. Jack slipped from bed, hoping to avoid waking Ianto. He needed the rest. With everything going on, it was a wonder the PTSD symptoms hadn't flared again.

He quietly moved over to the small table and booted his laptop. It was a habit after all the years of Torchwood. If anything happened, Gwen would call them. He'd ask that she only call if it couldn't be avoided. The request hadn't been necessary. Coffee would have been good, he thought absently as he waited. Ianto hadn't set up the coffee pot the night before and he'd be upset about it, if Jack didn't wake him to handle the morning chores. He would wait.

Only one email showed in his in-box which was unusual. Gwen's message was short and made him smile. "You're on holiday." She must have had Anwen redirected his email.

Jack doubted he could get back to sleep. He could take a shower or do morning exercises. He headed for the bathroom.

"Jack." Ianto propped himself up on his elbow. "What time is it?"

"Early. Go back to sleep."

Ianto pushed him up and rubbed his eyes. "Something is happening."

Jack crossed the room. "Nightmare?"

Ianto grimaced and ran a hand over his spirit marks on his bare chest. The cat and owl symbols over his heart looked like henna. "No."

Jack sat on the edge of the bed. "Another cemetery?"

"No. This entire area has some type of connection to Lewella."

"Why didn't you mention it?"

"You'd worry." Ianto reached for Jack's hand.

For good reason, Jack thought. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Ianto closed his eyes. "We're about to have company."

A knock echoed through the suite.

Jack stood and grabbed Ianto's robe. "How did you know?"

"I can sense her."

Nothing should surprise him anymore, Jack thought, heading for the door. Ianto preferred to ignore Lewella and everything connected to her. Nessa's comments about Ianto being a witch didn't help. Jack wasn't sure what to think. Ianto coped with everything better than anyone could expect. The circumstances were very different, but Jack couldn't help but recall the few memories he had left of accepting his immortality. He had no idea then what Rose had done. It was an impossible situation that challenged everything he understood. Jack had since learned he was a fixed point in time and space. They had nothing solid on why future Torchwood brought Ianto back from the dead.

Braith Roberts waited in the hallway outside the door. She looked tired. The day they met, Braith had gone one-on-one with a Weevil. She called the creature a demon. He hadn't thought much about it at the time. People used religion to describe what they didn't understand. Except she hadn't tried a cross or holy water, she use a rusty pipe.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your weekend. We have a situation."

Jack stepped back and motioned her in. "What happened?"

"A group of guests went hiking yesterday. You might have seen them. Four university students from London. They didn't come back before dark. We assumed they were lost; it happens. The police department coordinated with a local church for volunteers. My grand-kids were out there looking." She shook her head. "One of the students is dead. Two are to traumatized to answer questions, including give their names. The fourth is missing."

"Have the volunteers been recalled?"

"Yeah. Price Howell, the local DC recalled the general volunteers and called in experienced hunters and the few military veterans in the area. He thinks it's a rabid animal." Braith hesitated. "I was a nurse when I was younger. I've treated people who were mauled. I've treated witnesses to violence."

"What do you think happened?"

Braith rubbed her face. "I don't know."

"Does Howell know you're here?"

"Yeah. I told him. Price didn't argue much."

Jack nodded. "Does he have a staging area?"

"The dining room."

* * *

Ianto Jones followed Jack downstairs after the expected argument. Jack wanted him to stay. Usually, Ianto didn't argue. Staying out-of-the-way was safer. No matter how much the symptoms faded, he was still afraid. But the situation involved Lewella somehow. He wouldn't have sensed the problem or Braith Roberts otherwise. That made him involved whether he liked it or not.

The discussion with Price Howell went better than expected. Howell gave Jack a radio and folded map. They already had compasses, GPS, water bottles and power bars. Owena, Braith's granddaughter, handed them sack lunches like they had yesterday before they left the kitchen. They added them to the backpacks.

Jack lead across the back lawn, without a word, and stopped next to a large oak tree. "I want you to stay here."

"I can't."

"I don't want to lose you." Again was implied.

"You won't."

Jack hesitated before entering the trees. He said nothing more as he led down the same path they'd walked the previous afternoon. Ianto couldn't help but wonder as they walked why he didn't sense anything previously. They'd walked for hours. He didn't know enough about his connection to Lewella to guess.

More than an hour later, Ianto stopped walking. The spirit marks ached enough to bother him. When he shifted right, the ache lessoned. "Jack."

"What's wrong?" Jack turned around and walked back.

"We're going the wrong direction." Ianto rubbed his chest.

"Which way?"

Ianto stepped off the path. "I'm going to have to lead."

"No." Jack moved in front of him. "Where?"

"I don't know." Ianto moved around Jack and the ache lessoned again. "Lassie didn't tell me where the well is."

Walking without a path took longer. The ground was hard but the plants hadn't started growing again. Saplings made passage among the established trees difficult in places. When the ache started again, he turned until it lessoned and headed in that direction. Ianto could help but picture himself as a dog tracking spiritual clues. It wasn't the strangest situation he'd found himself in since joining Torchwood. Jack stayed close, catching Ianto the few times he stumbled.

When he found what he was looking for, he accidentally nudged it with his foot, sending a jolt of energy up his leg. Ianto held onto a tree until the sensation passed. Then he crouched down to look at the stone. He removed a glove to brush the dirt off the symbol. Contact with the stone knocked him over. Images flickered through his head. It wasn't a Lewella situation. A death omen and exploding graves might be easier.

"Hey." Jack crouched next to him.

"It's an alien. Short and stocky with a bone exoskeleton and tusks." Ianto rubbed his forehead. "Stronger than a Weevil."

"How did it get here?" Jack helped Ianto to his feet.

"I don't know. I think it was released."

Jack flipped open his wrist-strap and scanned the area. He hadn't had a reason before as they were to far from the Rift. "There is a emergency pod," Jack trailed off. "The energy is strange."

Ianto reached into his pocket and removed a handful of stun pellets. "I was worried about animals."

"We need to go back. I will call Gwen for equipment."

The energy jolted him again. "Lessie doesn't like that idea."

"Why?"

Another series of images flashed through his mind. Unsure if he understood, Ianto focused on his hand and it glowed. "We don't need the equipment."

* * *

Jack Harkness felt more comfortable resuming the lead. His wrist-strap would direct them to the creatures' pod. From there he would have a better idea of what they were dealing with. Ianto's description didn't fit any alien he'd heard of or seen, which didn't mean much. The exoskeleton sounded like it came from a harsh planet. Tusks could mean primitive. It wasn't much to go on. Jack suspected the creature would be difficult to take down.

As they neared the pod, Jack noticed an impression on the ground. He crouched by it and used a stick to remove leaves. The print said the creature was heavy and wearing something on its feet. Jack looked around. The impression was the only indication it passed through. It was intelligent and familiar with wooded areas.

"Did any of the images show the creature using tools?" Jack stood.

"No. Why?"

"Traps: hunting, defensive or offensive."

Ianto shook his head. "I saw it punch a tree."

Jack liked the situation less and less. He'd been in areas where traps were a possibility. Combat with certain cultures, Earth or otherwise, was unpredictable. European and American troops were wholly unprepared for fighting the Japanese in WWII or the Vietnamese. Culture defined what tactics were acceptable. Some alien cultures were darker than anthing Earth produced.

"Stay close. Walk slow. If anything looks odd, mention it."

The remaining walk had Jack on edge. It would have been simpler, if he'd been alone. He focused on his surroundings and tried to ignore the memories of one of the biggest personal mistakes of his life. Jack stopped several feet from the pod and scanned again. It was a generic lifeboat for a spaceship. Finding one didn't surprise him. It was the energy readings. It hadn't come directly from space. That explained why it wasn't picked up on radar. What did surprise him was he had no idea how it got there.

What he did know was the alien camped near it, suggesting the creature either didn't realize it could be tracked or didn't care. The latter meant the possibility of an ambush.

"Jack." Ianto sounded uneasy. "The missing student is that way."

"How close?" Jack couldn't help but wonder why the student stayed near the pod.

"I don't know."

Allowing Ianto to lead that close to the alien's camp added to the anxiety. Jack reminded himself that Lewella protected Ianto from Shane Boone. The death omen even kept him safe. But there were too many uncertainties. Without knowing Lewella's motivation, in the very least, he couldn't trust her.

Ianto stopped. He didn't have to say it. The missing student was alive, but injured, and tethered to a tree. Either a very simple trap, or the actual trap was hidden. Jack scanned the area with his wrist-strap. No obvious technology other than the pod. Using primitive tactics made the alien more dangerous under the circumstances.

"Stay here."

Jack slowly walked a circle around the tied student. When he didn't find evidence of a trap, he started wondering. There were other reasons to keep a prisoner. If the survivor was in a better frame of mind than the two students in the hospital, he might be able to provide information.

Jack crouched a few feet away. "Can you hear me?"

The student mumbled.

"Can you tell me about the creature?"

"Jack!" Ianto started toward him.

With no other choice, Jack fished his knife from his pocket and cut the tether. He could see the creature by the time Ianto reached the student. Jack stepped in front of Ianto. It wore simple leather clothes and carried a mangled game bird. From its eyes Jack suspected it was more animal than person.

"He can't walk, Jack. How do you want to do this?"

Jack held his hand back, palm up. "Stun pellets."

Ianto quickly handed a few over.

The creature sniffed at the air. A bird flew from a nearby tree, startling it. Jack threw a stun pellet and struck its chest. The devices were modified to take down biomechs, but had no affect. It increased speed. He threw the remaining pellets and the creature knocked him over.

* * *

Ianto Jones watches as the creature tore at Jack. Knowing it couldn't kill him didn't lesson the horror. Ianto's first reaction was to unsnapped his holster. A jolt of energy ran up his leg, reminding him of the images from earlier. Ianto focused on his hand as he had before and it glowed. Unsure of what else to do, he reached toward the creature. Energy flowed from the ground through him and flew at the creature in a pulse. It howled on as it flew backwards hitting a tree. When it struggled to its feet, Ianto hit it a second time. The creatured whimpered and stayed down.

Ianto moved over to Jack whose shoulder and arm were obviously broken. Jack struggled to sit up, the pain showing across his face. "Wait until it heals."

"I need the radio."

Ianto found it on the ground. He crouched next to Jack, partially holding him up and handed over the radio. "We have it."

"No."

Jack pressed the radio button with his off hand. "Howell."

"What happened?"

"We found something," Jack said. "How was the student killed? It's important."

"Mauled by an animal. Best guess is a large, rabid dog."

"It's not a dog, Howell. Get your people out of the woods. Now. Warn anyone who lives near these woods to stay inside and arm themselves." Jack released the radio and a discussion followed. Howell ended the argue by threatening to arrest anyone who didn't obey him.

"What are you thinking?" Ianto helped Jack lean against a tree.

"It only attacked after I tried to stun it. The tether was loose. It restrained a seriously injured, sentient life-form it couldn't communicate with. To protect the kid from himself or the other creature."

Ianto looked over at the alien creature, wondering how badly he injured it. "Do you think it understands?"

"Yeah." Jack wiggled his fingers a few minutes later, indicating his arm healed. "How bad is the kid injured?"

"Broken leg, some tended gashes and bruises."

"Check on him. I need to check our new friend."

Ianto marveled at Jack using hand symbols and crude drawings to communicate with the creature. It had very animalistic body language. Assuming they were tracking a dangerous alien was a reasonable approach, but it meant they misinterprited everything. It reached out and lightly touched Jack's arm as if to ask how he healed. Ianto had done much the same thing when he saw Jack injured the first time.

"We're heading back to the B&B." Jack walked over.

"They will try to shoot him."

"One situation at a time."

The creature walked over and motioned to the injured college student. It motioned at itself and then the kid. Jack agreed, which made it possible to walk back without trying to contact Gwen via wrist-com for assistance. Jack led. The creature followed and Ianto trailed behind. He couldn't help but wonder about the other alien, and how the two creatures got there to begin with.

Howell stared. "What is it?"

"An alien. He didn't kill the student."

"What did?"

"Another alien. I need to call for back-up."

Howell nodded. Ianto had seen the expression before. The detective constable was having trouble believing what he was seeing.

Ianto then realized he should have called Gwen already. He found his phone, speed dialed and quickly explained the situation. "Gwen's asking what we're doing with our new friend."

"He can stay," Braith said.

"Uhm." Ianto looked from the elderly woman to Jack.

"One problem at a time. Speaker phone." Ianto switched it over. "We need equipment to hunt a large, alien beast, and a tablet with an audio/visual program for communicating with an unidentified humanoid."

* * *

Jack Harkness led back to their room hours later. The beast was dead. There was evidence of other alien creatures, including two carcases. A drone from Nova Scotia circled overhead checking for additional heat signatures. With no other pods and no Rift activity, Jack wasn't sure how the creatures arrived. Several unexplained aliens in one location made him suspect it was intentional, but he had no idea how or by who. If they were ever able to communicate with the creature downstairs, they might have an answer.

"Are we leaving the alien here?" Ianto asked.

"Yeah. Braith took me aside and showed she could project energy the same as you did." Jack shrugged off his coat. "We would have to seriously injure or kill him for restraint and transport. Then we'd have to lock him up. He doesn't deserve that."

"He tried to kill you."

"No. He was defending himself." Jack held out his arms.

Ianto hugged him. "How can we leave the creature here?"

"GPS tag. The locals have agreed to keep him a secret. If it's not on the Internet by the end of the weekend, it might work."

"It's a risk."

"Everything's a risk." Jack kissed him.

They opted to stay indoors for the rest of their weekend.


End file.
